The Pacific: Episode 1

From the emotive credits and the swirling score, it's very clear that this 10 part series under the watch of Mssrs Spielberg and Hanks is going to be very much Band Of Brothers Part II and that's obviously no bad thing.

The oft neglected side of the world that is rarely focused upon by films and popular historians alike, the battles within the Pacific basin within World War II were some of the bloodiest and fiercely contested by both the Allies and what has now become known as The Axis alike.

The focus of the series is obviously heavily slanted towards the US troops with Pearl Harbor used as the understandable catalyst which finally convinced both the American people and government to take arms against the gathering forces. Whilst Band Of Brothers’ action was centered very much around the Normandy landings and Operation Market Garden, the nature of combat in those situations was as dissimilar in this "Theatre of War" as The Pacific depicts. This is entrenched jungle combat and as such features the significant turning points such as Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal and Okinawa.

There seems little distance for the period war piece to cover in that so many different productions have attempted to envelop all possible aspects, yet the sheer ferocity of battle and the confusing nature of ensuring that you have the correct "enemy" in your sights, with technology little more advanced than the average ham radio, and overhead reconnaissance missions gives The Pacific a significant edge over those that have gone before. With a budget in excess of a reported $200 million, one would certainly hope that this would be the case.

Clearly the personal stories of the soldiers are just as important as the action and the trio of Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda) provide the true life tales for much of the heroics (the former two having their books "Helmet For My Pillow" and "With the Old Breed" adapted for the show). The first installment takes a while to find its feet, but the second chapter really hits a steady stride that one can imagine will prevail for the remaining episodes.



Airs at 9pm on Monday 5th April 2010 on Sky Movies Premiere HD.

Written by Simon Cole.